Filter tipping device



1967 T. J. MCARTHY ETAL FILTER TIPPING DEVICE 4 Shets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 9, 1964 INVENTORS K. GROPPE OCEE THOMAS J. MCCARTHY,

ATTORNEY Q 1967 v T. J. MCCARTHY ETAL 3,348,552

FILTER TIPPING DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 .Filed Nov. 9, 1964 INVENTORS OCEE K. GROPPE THOMAS J. M CARTHY ATTORNEY Oct. 24, 1967 T. MCCARTHY ETAL FILTER TIPPING DEVICE Filed Nov. 9, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 v INVENTORS GROPPE T HOMAS J. M CARTHY OCEE ATTORNEY 1967 T. J. M CARTHY ETAL 7 3,348,552

I FILTER TIPPING DEVICE I Filed Nov. 9, 1964 v 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 FIG. 8

INVENTORS OCEE K. GROPPE THOMAS J. MCCARTHY BY godacw I ATTORNEY United States Patent f 3,348,552 FILTER TIPPING DEVICE Thomas Joseph McCarthy, Richmond County, and Qcee Keaton Groppe, Richmond, Va., assignors to American Machine & Foundry Company, a corporation of New Jersey Filed Nov. 9, 1964, Ser. N0. 409,889 7 Claims. (Cl. 13194) This invention constitutes an improvement in the manufacture of cigarettes, especially filter tipped cigarettes or the like, and particularly to an assembly for axially aligning two cigarette lengths and an intermediate double length filter plug, all in axial abutment, and rolling an adhesive uniting bind or patch about the cigrette and filter plug assembly. Such united construction is then deliverable to central slicing means to form two tipped cigarettes for further processing.

An object of the invention is to provide a mechanism to produce filter mouthpiece cigarettes, which mechanism is of simplified design and capable of operating at a high rate of speed and still making acceptable cigarettes.

Another object is to provide a combination of a vacuum or suction conveyor drum and a coordinate rolling drum or cylinder, wherein the entire rolling action is performed between the two elements, all cigarette components being preassembled 0n the vacuum drum, one or two peripheral series of roller clusters being associated with the coordinate drum.

A further object is to furnish the rolling drum with an orbiting series of rollers, which orbit with either continuous or intermittent motion opposite to the rolling surface of the coordinate rolling drum, said rollers also being rotatable on their axes.

Another object is to provide axially disposed surface grooves on the vacuum drum, from which the cigarette assemblies are movable to the outermost surface of the suction drum during rolling.

Where a single orbiting series of rollers is provided around the coordinate rolling drum, an object is to make the rollers orbit in a direction opposite to that of the suction drum, while the rolling surface of the coordinate drum moves in the same direction as that of the suction drum. The object of a concentric pair of a series of rollers, a coordinate drum being omitted, is in that the rollers orbit with the suction drum.

With the foregoing and other objects and advantages in view, the following description will amplify same as well as the features of construction, combination and operation of the embodiments of the invention in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic side elevation of the first embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-section through the contra-rotatable drum and orbiting outer periphery of rollers;

FIG. 3 is a plan, partly in section, of the rotatable suction drum;

FIG. 4 is a partial vertical section taken on line 4--4 of FIG. 2;

FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 are a schematic sequence of elevations of the cigarette assembly rolling;

FIG. 8 is a schematic side elevation of the second embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 9 is a section through a pair of concentric peripheral series of orbiting rollers, there being no drum there in; and

FIG. 10 is a partial vertical section taken on the line 10-10 of FIG. 9.

The general manner of feeding the uniting band material, cutting same into patches and applying the cigarette rod and plug assembly thereto is the equivalent of Patented Oct. 24, 1967 that disclosed in the US. Patent No. 3,094,128 granted June 18, 1963 to George Dearsley, except as novelty herein distinguishes.

Referring to FIGS. 1-4, uniting band material 1, suitably applied with an adhesive on one surface, is fed to the top of a suction drum 2, the adhesive being on the outer surface of the band 1. The drum 2 is rotatable at a-faster peripheral speed than the delivery of the band, and thus maintains the band for subsequent processing under slight tension due to the coaction of the suction holes 3 in the drum.

The drum 2 draws the band 1 past a synchronously rotatable cutting drum 4 provided with a plurality of blades 5, which blades cooperate with transverse surface grooves or anvils 6 on drum 2 to sever the uniting band 1 into spaced patches 7, all the patches being suitably spaced and held by suction, due to the slightly greater peripheral speed of drum 2 than the speed of delivery of the uniting band 1.

The suction-held patches 7 are delivered by drum 2 past a synchronously rotatable drum 8 which delivers by contact pressure with each patch on drum 2 the cigarette and plug filter assemblies 9 to the leading edge of each patch 7, said leading edge being disposed in a novel transverse peripheral groove 10 in the surface of drum 2. Note from FIG. 3 that the assembly grooves are provided with suction holes 3 for substantially the width of the drum 2. The assembly of cigarettes and intermediate plug are adhesively fastened to the patch and rotatable to a rolling drum or the like, to be described hereinafter.

As is evident from FIGS. 1 and 3, the suction drum 2 is novelly provided with a pair of peripheral'rolledassembly dismounting grooves 42, 43, peripherally spaced holding grooves 10 and band cutting grooves or anvils 6, the grooves 6 and 10 suctionally communicating with an interior and adjustable stationary suction shoe 11. Note that the suction holes 3 in the assembly carrying grooves 10 are provided with suction dispersing slots 12, 13 for a proper grip on an assembly being conveyed to a rolling station.

The drum 2 is provided with an end header 14 having a central hub 15 adapted to be fixed by a washer and nut assembly 16 to the reduced end-threaded extension of a shaft 17 terminating beyond the support frame 18 and coupled to a conventional (not shown) drum rotating mechanism. Y

The stationary suction shoe 11 is adjustably mounted by means of its interior peripheral inner flange 19 and bolts 20 through the slots 22 to the end 21 of a cylindrical support housing 23 in substantially air-tight relationship. The housing 23 is bolted to the frame 18 at 41 and provided with an interior opening 24 around the shaft 17 to permit passage of suction air. The passage 24 terminates outwardly in a hollow and freely telescoped shaft 25 about shaft 17 and the opening 24 is suitably closed (not shown). a

The suction shoe 11 is provided with end flanges 26, 27 substantially hermetically sealed with the interior of drum 2, and a number of transverse flanges to define limits of suction, pressure, and sealed chambers, or housings. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3, the housing 28 is supplied by an air pressure line 29 to expunge the drum surface of debris before taking on the uniting band 1 and the cigarette and plug assembly 9. The suction housing 30 terminates at axial flange 31 and is Wide enough centrally of the drum by means of inward peripheral flanges 32, 33 to hold a uniting band 1 or a patch 7. The suction through pipe 34a supplies this housing with minimum evacuating means to slidably hold the band against the drum.

The inward flanges 32, 33 extend beyond the suction varying flange 31 to their ends 34, 35 in higher vacuum suction housing 36, where the flanges 32, 33 are axially recessed to the peripheral flanges 26, 27. The flange ends 34, 35 are angularly slightly before the application of the cigarette and plug assemblies 9 to the drum 2, the suction across the drum in the grooves holding the assemblies 9 and patches 7 in place. Suction in housing 36 is drawn through tube 37 communicating with the housing through a conduit 38 and slot 39 in suction shoe 11. The suction housing 36 terminates at the rolling station of a coordinate rolling drum assembly 40.

The coordinate rolling drum assembly 40 and its relationship to the associated vacuum carrying and rolling drum 2 is illustrated in FIGS. 1-7. The drum assembly 40 (see FIGS. 1, 2 and 4) is comprised of a hollow drum 44, rotatable in the same direction as and at substantially the same suface speed relative to the suction drum 2 or slower and providing for a cigarette, filter plug, and patch assembly, rolling surfaces therebetween, and an optionally rotatable cluster or peripheral rollers 45 orbiting intermittently or continuously in a direction opposite to and at lesser speed than the surface of drum 2, and having a lesser pitch than the cigarette assembly grooves 10 on the vacuum drum 2. The rollers 45 are rotatable on their own axes in the same direction as that of the drum 2, as they synchronously orbit adjacent drum 2 to match the assembly grooves 10.

With reference to FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, the parts of the rolling drum assembly 40 are rotatable and orbitable in a machine frame 46. The assembly 40 includes the hollow drum 44 having its end portion head flanges 47, 48 secured to a hollow shaft 49 rotatable on end bearings 50, 51. The drum 44 is rotatable through a gear 52 by conventional drive means not shown. The drum 44 is provided with center portion 53 of maximum diameter and such as to create between its surface and the outer diameter of drum 2 a bight substantially the diameter of the assembly to be rolled. Extending axially of the portion 53 are horizontal grooves 60 with axial and then slightly inward drum surfaces 61 therebetween, to aid in the removal of a wrapped assembly.

Freely rotatable inwardly of shaft 49 is solid shaft 54 having end portions in bearings 50, 51. Surrounding shaft 49 is a free rotatable sleeve shaft 55 on bearings 56, 57. Shafts 54 and 55 are respectively synchronously rotatable at the same angular speed by gears 67 and 68 from a common drive source, a portion of which is shown at 69. The sleeve shaft 55 is mounted in outer bearings 58, 59 in frame 46 and the entire drum assembly 40 is thus rotatably supported.

The shaft 54 mounts at its end a reduced portion 62 threaded at its end and secured by a nut 63 to a washer 64 bolted to the therewith rotatable flange plate 65. The sleeve shaft 55 also includes an outwardly flange extension 66. The flanges 65 and 66 are synchronously rotatable at the same speed and mount therebetween the rollers 45 in suitable flange grooves. These rollers 45 receive axial rotation by means of fixed end gears 70 which are mated to a common ring gear 71 on frame 46.

Beyond the rolling station between the drum assembly 40 and the vacuum drum 2 is a pair of arcuate guide plates 72, 73, only one being shown in FIG. 1, which have toes 81 smoothly received in peripheral grooves 42, 43 on the vacuum drum 2 to remove the rolled double cigarette and intermediate plug assembly. The plates are mounted on bolted extensions 74, 75 and are about drum 44 a suitable distance from the surface of the drum to permit the wrapped cigarette assembles to be delivered by the rollers 45 to a discharge drum 76 having peripherally spaced axial flutes 77 on its surface. The drum 76 and its flutes 77 cooperate with arcuate guide plates 78 having extensions 79, 80 bolted to the frame, for the purpose of freely delivering the wrapped cigarette and plug assemblies to further means (not shown) such as a slicing mechanism to cut the assemblies substantially centrally through the plug to form two filter tipped cigarettes.

The operation of wrapping a central patch about an axially abutting assembly of cigarettes and an intermediate double length filter plug is now describable with reference to FIGS. 1. 5, 6-and 7.

As the cigarette and plug assembly 9 is carried on the forward end of patch 7 by the vacuum drum 2, the adhesive assembly mounting being in groove 10, it first contacts a roller 45 (FIG. 5) and is rolled thereby to the surface of the drum 2. The roller pitch is less than that of grooves 10 on the drum 2, and the lesser orbital speed of the rollers insures meeting the grooves. This step initiates the wrapping of patch 7 and brings the assembly into the bight between the drum 2 and drum 44. The rollers 45 orbit in a direction opposite to that of drum 2 and with slower speed, to initiate this step. The rollers are also rotatable with the wrapping of the patch.

The wrapping of the pitch 7 is completed in the bight between drums 2 and 44, and then the operation reverts to that of FIG. 5 as the new assembly and cooperating roller arrive at the wrapping station. Note that the roller 45 which initiates a wrapping or rolling operation simultaneously carries away with ease to the slotted enlarged portion 82 of guide 72 the previously rolled cigarette assembly. The rolled cigarette assembly is smoothly carried by roller 45 between guide plate 72 and drum 44 to the fluted discharge drum 76 for further processing, e.g., cutting at the midsection to form two tipped cigarettes. Further, the transfer from drum 2 to drum 44 is aided by the cut-off shoes of plates 72 and 73 which shoes are in peripheral guides on drum 2, such as 42 and 43, and are assisted by the termination of suction in drum 2 at this transfer point.

The embodiment of FIGS. 8-10 is identical to that just described, except that the previous drum assembly is now replaced by orbiting peripheral and concentric series of rotatable rollers, there now being no drum.

The roller assembly is mounted in a frame 83 and its rotatable components are mounted on a solid shaft 84 and telescoped sleeve shafts 85 and 86. The shafts are rotatable relative to one another by bearings 87, 88, 89, 90, 91 and 92, the last two bearings mounting the assembly in the frame 83. Shafts 84 and 85 mount at their driven ends respectively similar gears 93, 94, both being driven at the same speed from a common drive (not shown) through gears 95, 96. The other ends of shafts 84 and 85 mount vertical flanges 97, 98, these being horizontally spaced to rotatably mount rods 99, therebetween. Flange 97 is secured to the threaded reduced end of shaft 84 by a bolt and washer assembly 101, the washer being bolted to the flange. Flange 98 is suitably keyed to shaft 85. Shaft 86 mounts a driving gear 102 in a vertical aligned plane with a ring gear 103 on the frame 83, both gears serving to drive the rollers, as will be described. At its outer end, shaft 86 is provided with a gear 104- rotatable by drive means (not shown) through a gear 105.

The rollers 99 and the rollers 100 form separate concentric circles in which they orbit continuously or intermittently by the rotation of flanges 97 and 98, this orbit being opposite in direction to the rotation of drum 2. R0- tation of the rollers about their axes is in the same direction as drum 2 and is achieved by means of end gears 106, 107, gears 106 meshing with the ring gear 103, and gears 107 meshing with gear 102 on shaft 86.

Referring to FIG. 8, the rotating assembly of rollers 99 and 100 travels continuously or intermittently at a slower average speed than the surface of drum 2, the pitch between each pair of rollers 99 and 100 being less than the grooves 10 on drum 2 and mating with them for rolling. Each roller 100 withdraws the cigarette, plug and patch assembly from groove 10* to commence the rolling. The rolling of the patch around the cigarettes and plug assembly is accomplished in a short distance by virtue of the surface of drum 2 and each pair of rollers 99 and 100,

the space between each pair of rollers being less than cigarette diameter. After the cigarettes and plug have been wrapped with a patch they are then conveyed by the rollers and guide plates 72 and 73 to the drum 76 similar to that of the first embodiment. Note the recess 82 in guide plate 72 which permits easy withdrawal of a cigarette and plug assembly wrapped with an adhesive patch.

The invention as described and illustrated herein is subject to equivalent modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a cigarette filter tipping device in combination: a rotating drum having grooves for carrying assemblies of axially aligned and abutting cigarette lengths and filter plug sections, means for supplying each of said assemblies on said drum with a uniting band; a mounting for a plurality of rollers in a cluster, means for rotating said mounting counter to said assembly-carrying drum, and all of said rollers having their axes circularly disposed and orbiting in peripheral proximity 'to said assembly-carrying drum; said rollers constructed and arranged and having an orbital speed adapted to cause said rollers to successively coincide with successive ones of said assemblies in said grooves on said assembly-carrying drum, and means for rotating said rollers individually in the same direction as said assembly-carrying drum and whereby said rollers coact with said assemblies for rolling said uniting band about said assemblies and for dislodging said assemblies from said assembly-carrying drum after said uniting band has been rolled onto said assemblies.

2. In a cigarette filter tipping device in combination: a rotating drum having grooves for carrying assemblies of axially aligned and abutting cigarette lengths and filter plug sections, means for supplying each of said assemblies on said drum with a uniting band; a mounting for a plurality of series of rollers in a cluster, said cluster comprising a plurality of sets of said rollers, each of said sets comprising one of said rollers from each of said series, means for rotating said mounting counter to said-assemblycarrying drum, all of said rollers of each of said series having their respective axes disposed on respective concentric circles and orbiting in peripheral proximity to said assembly-carrying drum; said sets of rollers constructed and arranged and having an orbital speed adapted to cause said sets to successively coincide with successive ones of said assemblies in said grooves on said assemblycarrying drum, and means for rotating said rollers independently in the same direction as said assembly-carrying drum and whereby said rollers coact with said assemblies for rolling said uniting band about said assemblies and for dislodging said assemblies from said assembly-carrying drum after said uniting band has been rolled onto said assemblies.

3. In a cigarette'filter tipping device in combination: a rotating drum for carrying assemblies of axially aligned and abutting cigarette lengths and filter plug sections, means for supplying each of said assemblies on said drum with a uniting band, a coordinate rolling drum peripherally spaced from said assembly-carrying drum by substantially the diameter of said assembly, means for rotating said coordinate drum in the same direction as said assembly-carrying drum for rolling said uniting band about a portion of each said assembly on said assembly-carrying drum, to join the said cigarette lengths and filter plug sections; a mounting for a series of rollers of less-thanassembly diameter in a cluster, means for rotating each said roller in the same direction as said assembly-carrying drum, means for rotating said mounting in a direction opposite to that of said assembly-carrying drum, all of said rollers having their axes disposed in a circle concentric to and orbiting about said rolling drum and in peripheral proximity to said assembly-carrying drum, said rollers of said series constructed and arranged and having an orbital speed adapted to cause successive ones of said rollers to coincide with successive ones of the saidassemblies on said assembly-carrying drum and to thereby coact with said assemblies for initiating said rolling of said uniting band about said assemblies and for dislodging said assemblies from said assembly-carrying drum after said uniting band has been rolled onto said assembly.

4. A cigarette filter tipping machine comprising: a source of assemblies of axially aligned cigarette rod lengths and a double length of filter plug section interposed therebetween and in abutment therewith, a source of dou-ble width adhesive assembly uniting band material, a rotating assembly drum having spaced axial grooves and provided with suction means adapted to receive and carry said uniting material and said assemblies, a counter-rotating cutting drum having spaced axial blades and in peripheral contact with said assembly drum for severing band lengths of said uniting material, a counter-rotating delivery drum peripherally spaced from said assembly drum and having spaced axial grooves for delivering said assemblies to saidgrooves in said assembly drum and for pressing a said assembly against the leading edge of a said severed band to adhere it thereto, a coordinate rolling drum having a peripheral speed not exceeding that of said assembly drum and peripherally spaced therefrom by substantially an assembly diameter, means for rotating said rolling drum in the same direction as said assembly-carrying drum for rolling said assembly therebetween and for rolling a said uniting band about a portion of a said assembly in a said groove to join the said cigarette rod lengths to the said double-lengths of filter sections; a mounting for a series of rollers in a cluster, all of said rollers of less-than-assembly diameter, means for rotating all of said rollers in the same direction as said assembly drum, means for rotating said mounting in a direction opposite to that of said assembly-carrying drum, all of said rollers having their axes circularly disposed and orbiting in peripheral proximity to said assembly drum, said rollers having a pitch less than that of said grooves in said assembly drum and having an orbital speed adapted to cause said rollers to successively coincide with successive ones of said assemblies in said grooves on said assembly drum, and to thereby coact with said assemblies for initiating said rolling of said uniting band about said assemblies andfor dislodging said assemblies from said assembly drum after said uniting hand has been rolled onto said assemblies; suction interrupting means for releasing said assemblies from said grooves in said assembly drum after said uniting band has been rolled onto said assembly, and a discharge drum rotating counter to said mounting and peripherally spaced from said rolling drum by more than an assembly diameter for receiving said band-united assemblies from said rolling drum.

5. A cigarette filter tipping machine comprising: a source of assemblies of axially aligned cigarette rod lengths and a double length of filter plug section interposed therebetween and in abutment therewith, a source of double-Width adhesive assembly uniting band material, a rotating assembly drum having spaced axial grooves and provided with suction means adapted to receive and carry said uniting material and said assemblies, a counter-rotating cutting drum having spaced axial blades and in peripheral contact with said assembly drum for severing band lengths of said uniting material, a counter-rotating delivery drum peripherally spaced from said assembly drum and having spaced axial grooves for delivering said assemblies to said grooves in said assembly drum and for pressing a said assembly against the leading edge of a said severed 'band to adhere it thereto; a mounting for a plurality of series of rollers in a cluster, said cluster comprising a plurality of pairs of said rollers, each of said pairs comprising one of said rollers from each of said series, means for rotating said mounting counter to said assembly drum, all of said rollers of each of said series having their respective axes disposed on respective concentric circles and orbiting in peripheral proximity to said assembly-carrying drum, said pairs of rollers having a pitch less than that of said grooves in said assembly drum and having an orbital speed sufficient to cause said pairs to successively coincide with successive ones of said assemblies in said grooves on said assembly drum and means for rotating said rollers individually in the same direction as said assembly drum and whereby said rollers coact with said assemblies for rolling said uniting band about said assemblies and for dislodging said assemblies from said assembly drum after said uniting band has been rolled onto said assemblies; suction interrupting means for releasing said assemblies from said grooves in said assembly drum after said uniting band has been rolled onto said assembly, and a discharge drum rotating counter to said orbital rotation of said rollers and peripherally spaced therefrom for receiving said band-united assemblies from said orbiting rollers.

6. The machine according to claim 5 in which the series of rollers in the cluster are all of lesser diameter than the cigarette and plug assemblies.

7. Apparatus for rolling a uniting band about a cigarette and filter assembly comprising first and second drums peripherally spaced by substantially the diameter of said assembly, the adjacent surfaces being driven in opposite direction, said first drum being adapted to carry on its References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,417,956 5/ 1922 Varga.

2,809,640 10/1957 Oldenkamp 13194 2,882,970 4/1959 Schur.

2,918,923 12/1959 Morris l31,-94 3,016,905 1/1962 Creuzburg s 131-94 3,03 6,581 5/ 1962 Dearsley 13194 3,148,683 9/1964 Brown et al. 131-94 ALDRICH F. MEDBERY, Primary Examiner.

SAMUEL KOREN, Examiner.

H. P. DEELEY, 111., Assistant Examiner. 

7. APPARATUS FOR ROLLING A UNITING BAND ABOUT A CIGARETTE AND FILTER ASSEMBLY COMPRISING FIRST AND SECOND DRUMS PERIPHERALLY SPACED BY SUBSTANTIALLY THE DIAMETER OF SAID ASSEMBLY, THE ADJACENT SURFACES BEING DRIVEN IN OPPOSITE DIRECTION, SAID FIRST DRUM BEING ADAPTED TO CARRY ON ITS SURFACE A SUCCESSION OF UNITING BANDS AND SAID ASSEMBLIES INTO THE BIGHT BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND DRUMS WHERE EACH OF SAID ASSEMBLIES IS CAUSED TO ROLL OVER EACH OF SAID UNITING BANDS, A SERIES OF ROTATING ROLLS ORBITING SAID SECOND DRUM, EACH OF SAID ASSEMBLIES AND ASSOCIATED UNITING BANDS BEING UNDER THE CONTROL OF ONE OF SAID ROTATING ROLLS AS THEY PASS THROUGH THE BIGHT BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND DRUMS SO AS TO BE REMOVED THEREFROM. 